


wanna make you mine, but that's hard to say

by water_poet



Category: Natepat - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Punk, Flowers, Gay, Gift Fic, Karaoke, M/M, Natepat, Pastel Matt, Prompt Fic, Punk Nate, Surprise! - Freeform, Tumblr Prompt, sort of, such gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 08:22:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9170599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/water_poet/pseuds/water_poet
Summary: For @candied_galaxies pastel/punk NatePat AU. Happy, er, birthday? Existence?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [choituans](https://archiveofourown.org/users/choituans/gifts).



> PASTEL/PUNK NATEPAT HOORAH
> 
> Or, and idea popped in to my brain while flipping through my old art so I wrote about that instead of working on my unfinished superhero AU fic
> 
> Whoops...

He's been running his shop for a few years when the pub closes down and his karaoke night attendance drops dramatically thanks to lack of alcoholic refreshments.

But it's a good space, right off the highway, and its not long before the space is snagged by the bright, fluffy haired man who inevitably ruins his life.

Because the pastel man doesn't sell alcohol.

He sells flowers, goddammit.

And Nate'll be damned if he's ever seen someone think to themselves, " _Better buy a fucking rose to go with my new guitar pick_ "

He hears about Matthew long before he meets him, and when he does they're both staring. Matt's bright eyes are hovering over his snake bite piercings and gauges, his nails painted with chipping black polish and streaks of blue in his hair. There's a little fear in his eyes, and Nate is glad he already has some power over this pastel man who has come to ruin his business.

Matthew is no better when it comes to normalcy. He's wearing a flower crown, with pinks and greens. His sweater reminds Nate of water, a shifting ombre of blues, purples, and greens. He's got on a necklace you get out of gumballs machines, a stupid plastic Martian figure on a cheap metal chain.

He's got a scent likes roses and cinnamon. Not that Nate's found  _that_ on purpose.

His hands are pale and calloused from thorns and soil and whatever the fuck else he's gotten into.

" _I'm Matthew, your new neighbor_ " he says, and Nate wants to roll his eyes at the sound of his voice.

" _Nice to meet you_ " he replies, without a hint of sincerity.  Those amber eyes darken and instantly he feels guilty.

So he takes his hand away and rubs his neck, shifting his arm so Matthew can get and eyeful of the black ink across his bicep and walks back into his shop.

The weeks pass and people begin to murmur.

Nate hears them while tuning guitars and organizing knickknacks. They're talking about the pastel next door, who insists on wearing a new floral accessory and that stupid alien necklace ever fucking day.

His curiosity gets the best of him and he visits the shop a few metres away, against his better judgement which has never been that great anyway.

It's all pale yellows and pinks and blues and he hates it. There's flowers everywhere, and the whole shop smells like Matthew: cinnamon, roses, and earth.

" _Hey, Nate. Here for a flower for a special someone?_ "

His voice is teasing, lilting, and Nate wants to punch him and kiss him all at once.

" _What if I am?_ "

Matthew shrugs and sticks his hand in the pockets of his pastel galaxy hoodie and _dear god can't he stop?_

" _I'll help you pick something else. We've all got that special girl. Or guy"_

He blushes to match the pink of the floral display behind him and Nate rolls his eyes again and can't help but smile and hate himself for it.

Nate wants to tell him he's there to scold him for ruining his karaoke nights, to buy a flower for that cute guy he (didn't) saw at the supermarket, to grab his chin and kiss him just to see his round face flush again and again.

He opens his mouth to tell Matthew to fuck off, but he's Nathan Sharp, who has a quick tongue and a stupid crush so that's not what comes out.

" _Wanna come to karaoke?_ "

Matthew's face is flushing again, and he hides it with a cautious adjustment of his stupid cat ear headband.

" _Sure. If you'd like..._ "

So Nate nods and leaves and closes his shop a few hours early.

But he doesn't have the heart to toss the rose he finds outside his door the next morning.

* * *

There's people he's never seen at karaoke tonight, and he's got a sneaking suspicion Matthew invited them.

At any rate, the place is livelier than it's been in weeks, and no one's even drunk yet.

Nate's on stage, holding the mic and he sees a spot of pale purple in the corner and he almost drops it.

Matthew's sitting in the corner, twisting the silver bar in his ear and smiling at him over a glass of water like the goody-two-shoes that he is.

So Nate sings and turns red and promptly decides to punch that stupid grin off Matt's stupid face as soon as the night ends.

But Matt's up next, and their hands brush and _damn it all_.

He can sing, and Nate isn't surprised. When he opens his eyes, his face is burning and Matt is next to his table, still smiling.

He sits, and fuck, he wants to kiss him.

" _You sing good_ "

Fuck.

" _You too, Nate_ "

 _Fuck_.

" _Thanks for coming. It... it means a lot to me_ "

And to Nate's surprise, it does.

Matt's rummaging in his pocket, scribbling a phone number on a napkin and sliding it across the table.

" _In case you ever wanna buy that flower_ " he says.

* * *

The next morning there's a daisy outside the flower shop door and Matt can't stop smiling.


End file.
